1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cooling and, more specifically, to cooling integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microprocessors have dramatically increased in speed, however, that increase in speed has led to increased cooling problems. Microprocessors and other integrated circuits need to be cooled to prevent excessive heat build-up and eventual hardware failure. One solution is to place a heat sink, made of a conductive metal, in thermal contact with the microprocessor. Heat from the microprocessor is conducted to the heat sink and dispersed into the surrounding air. Fans may also be used to move air over the heat sinks to further enhance their cooling rate. Heat sinks may also include fins to increase the surface area of the heat sink in contact with the air to further enhance cooling.
However, as microprocessor speeds increase, the heat sink required to disperse their generated heat may be very large. This may make thin computers (e.g., laptops) hard or impossible to design. Additional problems have also been encountered in the quest for smaller computers. For example, because microprocessors have become smaller, there is less surface area on the microprocessor for thermal contact with a heat sink. In addition, the smaller enclosures of thinner computing devices may restrict airflow over the heat sink.